Light On Snow – Anita Shreve (Abacus 2005)

This gentle novel is set in secluded, show-bound New Hampshire as the 30 year old narrator Nicky tells the story of what happened when she was a twelve year old girl. At that time she lived with her father and they had moved to this remote place following the death of her mother and sister. It is clear that they are both frozen in grief and, without labouring the metaphor, the setting for the novel is indicative of their states of mind.

Anita Shreve has a deft and caring touch and when Nicky finds a baby abandoned in the snow, the events which follow open up their lives and allow the expression of feelings which she and her father had been unable to share or acknowledge.

This book would suit young adults. It is well written with no lurid or complex issues but with a deep enough base to be ultimately very satisfying. Fundamentally it is a study of grief and the honesty and choices which are made in overcoming it.